HANSON, Ky. (9/13/13) – After a few false starts, the 14 people gathered at Hanson Baptist Church on Thursday played "Boil Them Cabbage Down" together on their dulcimers.

The song, described by group member Pat Lorton as "the national anthem for dulcimers," was the first of several practiced by the group which met the first time on August 29. They went on to play a variety of folk and gospel favorites.

Kay Buskov of Madisonville is one of the three organizers of the group. She said she and the others, Peggy Stirsman and Nancy Parker, had been attending a dulcimer club in Henderson.

"After going there, we thought 'we need to do this in Madisonville,'" Buskov said.

The group is small for now, but the three women share a vision.

"We're hoping it really grows," Buskov said.

According to Buskov, that expansion may bring in new instruments as well as people. Speaking of a group in Elizabethtown, she said "They have all kinds of instruments, including the banjo, mandolin, and autoharp."

Buskov, Stirsman, and Parker have been playing the dulcimer since February.

"We are novices," Buskov said of the newly formed class. "We'll share what we know. We'll get better together."

It seems that some members of the community can hardly wait for the group to be concert-ready.

"We have already been asked to play a couple places, when we get better," Stirsman said.

To Stirsman, the appeal of the group goes beyond the music they make together.

"The best part is hearing people laugh and have a good time," she said.

The dulcimer class meets at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday evenings at Hanson Baptist Church. Players of all skill levels may still join.